Frightful Friday: Dead Harvest by Chris Holm

Frightful Friday is a weekly meme in which I feature a particularly scary or chilling book that I’ve read that week. Feel free to grab the button & join in!

This week’s featured book is Dead Harvest by Chris Holm:

• Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Angry Robot (February 28, 2012)
• ISBN-10: 085766218X
• Source: Personal copy

Sam Thorton is a Collector…of lost souls. His job requires him to collect the souls of the damned in order to ensure their delivery to the proper destination.  His most recent target is Kate, a young woman believed to have slaughtered her entire family.  For the first time, Sam believes he’s been assigned to collect on an innocent person.  His refusal to follow through with this job begins a war of biblical proportions with a host of supernatural beings, including angels and demons. Sam is not only forced to evade the grasp of the local police, who believe he’s freed a murderous psychopath, but a second Collector sent to perform the task Sam was unable to complete.

I found it nearly impossible to believe that this is Holm’s debut novel. It is a perfect marriage between urban fantasy and crime fiction.  On first glance, one would assume that this sort of combination of genres would be impossible to perform without ending up with a hot mess, a literary “whoops.” Not in this case, a true testament to Holm’s skillful writing. Not a lengthy novel in the least, but it really packs a punch. This is a book that I guarantee you will read in one sitting, you will root for Sam, hoping that he is able to save Kate’s soul.

Alongside the main storyline, the reader also is rewarded with a glimpse into Sam’s history, the actions that put in place his role as a collector. Always a man just out to do what is best, he’s punished eternally for his actions. Because of this, his outward appearance is that of a real badass, but he truly has a soft & caring heart inside. I’m thrilled that this book isn’t the last we’ll read of Sam, for Holm has created a completely engaging and addictive character. I simply cannot wait for more. Highly, Highly recommended.

Oh! I’d be remiss not to mention the awesomeness that is the cover of this book! Don’t you just love the vintage look & feel? Ok, I digress. Still…go out and buy this book. You won’t regret it.